Lidia Monteverdi discussing medical malpractice on Chris Smith – 30 January 2021

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CS – Chris Smith / LM – Lidia Monteverdi –  C1,2,3, etc – Callers 

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Read the transcript below:

CS       Good Morning to you Lidia.

LM     Good Morning Chris, how are you?

CS       Very, very well.  Now, a listener has emailed through, it’s Susan, and Susan says “I’ve read a lot in the media about cosmetic and plastic surgeons. I had a bad experience with a cosmetic surgeon. Can I make a medical negligence claim?”

LM     That’s a really relevant question Chris. So cosmetic surgery has attracted a lot of media attention in the last few years and this is because cosmetic medicine is largely an unrelated area of medicine in NSW and Australia. Cosmetic surgeons or cosmetic practitioners have not undergone the same rigorous and lengthy training as plastic surgeons, but they are able to use the title of surgeon which leads to a lot of confusion in patients and in public.

CS       Oh, there’s a whole in the law I would have thought.

LM     A huge, huge hole. There’s a lot of submissions and regulatory action to try and get that area of law or medicine to become more regulated, but it is difficult. It also means, Chris, that cosmetic surgeons perform some of the same surgical procedures as plastic surgeons, sometimes, as I’m sure Susan might be able to attest, sometimes with disastrous outcomes, so Susan, there are a number of options for both Susan and cosmetic patience. It includes bringing a medical negligence claim, or if you were a patient of the Cosmetic Institute which was a plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery clinic in Sydney and in a few other locations around Australia, then you can join Turner Freeman’s class action against the cosmetic institute, or you could make a regulatory complaint about the particular practitioner to the Health Care Complaints Commission, which is a NSW Government body, so it is really important to seek legal advice about the best avenue for you, because not all of those options are available to everybody.

CS       Alright, Susan wants to know, “Are the costs involved with a medical negligence claim something that she will have to fork out? How does that work?”

LM     So, each firm is different in the way that they charge their costs. Turner Freeman charge our costs on a “no win, no fee” which means we do not charge you any costs or disbursements unless and until we get you some compensation.

CS       OK, that’s fairly handy. Hopefully that information was terrific for Susan. And if you would like to send your enquiry or your question to Turner Freeman Lawyers, you can email 2GB@turnerfreeman.com.au. Lidia, thank you very much for that, have a great weekend.

LM     Thanks Chris, you too.

CS       Lidia Monteverdi from Turner Freeman Lawyers.

VOICEOVER

Turner Freeman Lawyers is famous for getting people the compensation they deserve. Search Turner Freeman Lawyers. Call 13 43 63 or email your enquiry to 2GB@turnerfreeman.com.au.